Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

An extract from http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume38/sss38-05.pdf is given below (English translation of words spoken by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Telugu): People had by now realised that Swami had fulfilled the promise given by Him to Subbamma. They felt that Subbamma’s life was sanctified. Taking cue from her example, several elderly people used to visit Me with the request, “Swami! Please give a word that You will pour sanctified water into my mouth with Your Divine hands at the time of my departure from this world.” I used to tell them, “My dear ones! All people cannot get this great boon. If you are destined to get it, you will certainly get it. I will come at the appropriate time and pour sanctified water into your mouth.” Kondama Raju [Ravi: Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's very pious grandfather] used to observe these people coming to Swami with such requests. He also developed a yearning for this prapti (deservedness). One day, he approached Me and requested...

Ramana Maharishi Looking At You! Pic courtesy: Ramana Periya Puranam [I thank author & publisher of Ramana Periya Puranam and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]

Last updated on 27th February 2016 The content of this post is from my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1708309822718921 , which is a Facebook share of the Yaani Drucker's Waking Up by Undoing Ego Facebook group post, https://www.facebook.com/notguiltybyyaani/posts/993753847368136 . First the content of Yaani Drucker's post: Before my husband Al Drucker passed, I wanted him to tell me what to do with the ashes after cremation. He kept blowing me off, as if to say, what do I care about what happens to the body after I shed it. I'm not confused about what's real and important. Just days before he passed, I was prompted by Swami to share the write up of Kasturi-ji's passing. As I read it, I could tell Al was hanging on every word, just drinking it in. I could tell it was because though death is nothing, and not real, still Baba shows that it is important what happens at the time of death, and even thereafter in relation to the body....

Last updated on 27th February 2016 The Muddenahalli group website here, http://saivrinda.org/updates/sri-sathya-sai-sowbhagyam-inaguration/ , states (he in the quote below is Hon'ble Prime Minster Narendra Modi, and the context is the recent visit on 21st Feb. 2016 of PM Modi to Naya Raipur hospital of Muddenahalli group): Between the two functions, he sought the guidance and blessings of Bhagawan Baba in the subtle form, for a few minutes. It was a great occasion for the leader of the Nation and the leader of the Universe to come together, yet again! --- end quote from Muddenahalli group website --- [Readers may additionally want to see the blog post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Sathya Sai Baba statue in Naya Raipur hospital, and praises Sathya Sai, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2016/02/prime-minister-narendra-modi.html , dated 21st February 2016.] Now, my view is that we should find out from official quarters like the Prime Minister's Office whether th...

I saw a Facebook post where a conversation with (physical form) Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was mentioned as follows: I once had the chance to ask Swami whether he was the Messiah for which we had long been waiting? He answered "Not one Messiah. You are all Messiahs. You have the power to save yourself and to save others also." In other words, he will drive the chariot, he will direct us from within, but it is our job to save ourselves and we have been given the full power of God to transform the internal enemies of greed, hatred and jealousy, etc. which are polluting our hearts into the divine love that is Swami. --- end FB post extract ---- Ravi: In the context of the above, my view is as follows: I will never ever forget Bhagavan hammering away in multiple Sai Kulwant Hall discourses in the decade before Mahasamadhi, most of which I have heard live sitting Sai Kulwant Hall, about all of us being God and not just him. And he went ahead and said in one s...

On the same day (21st Feb. 2016) that Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Naya Raipur hospital of Muddenahalli group, later on in the day, Prime Minister Modi attended the centenary celebrations of Gaudiya mission (associated with great Vaishnava tradition spiritual teacher and leader of the early 16th century from Bengal, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaitanya_Mahaprabhu ). PM Modi's speech at the Gaudiya mission was focused on spirituality & religion, in keeping with the event being a spiritual and religious event. In contrast, PM Modi's speech at the Naya Raipur hospital of Muddenahalli group (see  http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2016/02/prime-minister-narendra-modi.html ), earlier on the same day, focused on government initiatives & plans, in keeping with that event being a govt. project event hosted on the facilities of Naya Raipur hospital of Muddenahalli group. The excerpts below are from  http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease...

Last updated on 27th February 2016 Mrs Yaani Drucker​, wife of Mr. Al Drucker, has informed her Facebook friends (I am her FB friend) and permitted me to share publicly that Mr. Al Drucker has passed away. As she puts it, "Al so peacefully flew the cage - free." I pray to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to shower His Grace on the sukshma sharira of Mr. Al Drucker, and give courage to Yaani Drucker, his wife, and rest of his family & friends to bear the loss of his physical sharira. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Al Drucker sir for sharing his experiences of Sai Baba and his views of Sai Baba's teachings (see http://atmapress.com/ ). I gather that he has also written on his understanding of spiritual philosophy from various religious texts like the Bhagavan Gita and the Bible. I did not have the privilege of meeting him in person but thanks to some Sai devotee video-interviewers who put up Al Drucker's interview and other lectures/talks videos ...

Last updated on 27th February 2016 Today (21st Feb. 2016), Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, accompanied by Hon'ble Union Minister Shri Venkaiah Naidu and Hon'ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh state, Dr. Raman Singh, visited the Naya Raipur hospital set up and run by Muddenahalli group. I am very happy to inform readers that PM Modi, union minister Venkaiah Naidu and CM Raman Singh made NO REFERENCES WHATSOEVER to so called subtle body of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Muddenahalli OR its so called communicator Madhusudhan Rao Naidu. In fact, the main function was the foundation stone laying ceremony for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (seems to be Hindi for Prime Minister Housing Project), http://mhupa.gov.in/User_Panel/UserView.aspx?TypeID=1434 . I was quite surprised to see that the Naya Raipur hospital of Muddenahalli group was the venue for this event. I guess there seems to be some close tie-up between the Naya Raipur hospital and the Chhattisgarh state go...

Last updated 27th February 2016 [Article courtesy: The Ramala Centre, http://www.ramalacentre.com/newsletter09_99_02.htm .] [Ravi: Note that Al refers to Al Drucker of atmapress.com and David (the interviewer) seems to refer to David Jevons of The Ramala Centre, ramalacentre.com . Going by the link name of the interview source mentioned above, I presume that the interview happened in 1999.] David: I would like to begin by asking you about your spiritual background. What were your spiritual understandings before you came into contact with Sai Baba? Al: I was brought up in a Jewish home in pre-war Germany. As a little boy I was a very pious kid even though my family was not particularly religious. It was really an opportunity for me to get away from my family. At the time I felt overpowered by all the women in my family. They all loved me and fluttered around me so much that as a little kid I just couldn't take it. So the only way that I could become free of all of that was...